Chapter 39: Onboarding [Volume 2: Blooming Roses]

Amidst various gazes—some curious, others subtle—Luo Yan walked up to the security guard with a bright, toothy grin.

“Excuse me, is this the headquarters of Neo Aonan Energy?”

When she read through the company profile Lu Ming had given her, she’d been surprised to see that Neo Aonan Energy owned an entire building in the municipal center.
After all, in a place where every inch of land was worth its weight in gold, even having a single floor as office space was impressive—let alone an entire building.

But considering the company’s business focus and its political standing in Neo Aonan, it made sense.

“Yes… May I ask who you are?”

As a security guard for Neo Aonan Energy, he’d seen many attractive women pass through the front entrance. Still, when Luo Yan appeared, he couldn’t help but glance at her a few extra times.
If not for his professional discipline, his gaze might have drifted to far less appropriate places.

“I’m a new employee. I’m here to report for duty today. This is my identification.”

“Alright, please wait a moment.”

She didn’t have to wait long.

The security guard returned and handed back her documents with both hands. His tone was noticeably more respectful now.

“Verified. Please take your temporary card. The company will issue you an official pass later for building access. According to our records, you’re reporting to the Investigation Department as a Senior Consultant. To get there, just swipe your card and take the direct elevator to the 11th floor.”

“Senior Consultant?”

Luo Yan blinked, slightly stunned.

The information Lu Ming gave her had mentioned the Investigation Department and some of its responsibilities, but it hadn’t specified her role in detail.
She’d assumed she’d be starting as a probationary employee. Senior Consultant was… unexpected.

With her background, she knew this wasn’t a simple position.
It might not come with actual power, but the title held symbolic weight—often signifying special status or oversight.

Was this Lu Xiao Na’s idea? No… she doesn’t have the authority to make that kind of decision. This must be Lu Ming’s doing.
But why? Protection? A test? Or something else entirely?

“Yes, Consultant Luo,” the security guard confirmed.

Luo Yan nodded calmly. “Understood. May I ask how to get to the direct elevator?”

“Straight ahead and to the left.”

She nodded again, thanked him, and walked toward the elevator.

After she was gone, a slightly chubby security guard leaned over and asked in a hushed voice, “She’s gorgeous. If she debuted in entertainment, she’d be a huge star. Is she really a new hire?”

The tall guard nodded, still looking in the direction Luo Yan had gone. His expression was a bit odd.
“She’s the new Senior Consultant for the Investigation Department.”

“Investigation Department? Senior Consultant?”

The chubby guard froze. In his mind, he replayed the stunning image of the woman who had just walked in.

He couldn’t believe that someone like her had joined that department—and at that level.

Nobody in the Investigation Department was easy to deal with.
After all, their job was to dig up problems—and that meant stepping on toes.

As far as he knew, the department was practically a concentration camp for ability users.
Sixty percent of the staff were ability users, and their department head was a high-ranking Luminous-level user.
There were also several Awakening-level masters under him.

Someone once compared the Investigation Department to the “jackals of Neo Aonan”—cunning, sharp, and bold.
They didn’t care who you were. If they found an issue, they’d bite and take their pound of flesh.

If you asked around the company which department people least wanted to deal with, most would answer without hesitation:
“The Investigation Department.”

He couldn’t imagine why someone that beautiful would walk into a place like that.

“Hey, did you check her file just now? See what her background was?”

“I don’t have clearance for that. All I could see was her department and title.”

“Tch. Pity. I wanted to know her resume and ability level. She must be some kind of parachute hire, right? Doesn’t look like she came up from one of our subsidiaries.”

“Most likely parachuted in, yeah. No internal record.”

“Man… not only are those people in the Investigation Department tough, they’re also territorial. Are they setting her up to fail?”

“Maybe her backing’s solid. Anyway, we shouldn’t speculate. Not our business.”

“Hah, true…”

Neo Aonan Energy Group Headquarters — 11F Investigation Department Head’s Office

O’Berain sat in his office, studying the file in front of him with interest.

He had gone through the new hire’s resume, but his eyes kept returning to the top-right corner of the page—to her portrait.

“Luo Yan… Mr. Lu…”

He had been informed a few days ago that the Investigation Department would be receiving a newcomer—and not just any newcomer, but one with the title of Senior Consultant.

Whether it was “Consultant” or “Senior Consultant,” it wouldn’t really impact his authority as the department head.
After all, regardless of title, most of the real power in the Investigation Department rested with him.

Her parachuting in posed no threat to his current position.

What intrigued him, however, was how many layers of meaning were wrapped up in Lu Ming’s arrangement.

Before this new consultant even arrived, he’d already begun digging into her background.

An outsider, origins unknown.
Her presence in Neo Aonan seemed linked to the Deputy Consul’s daughter, Lu Xiao Na.
She was a special talent—possibly an ability user. Maybe even Awakening-level.

But from the data available, there was nothing that justified her receiving the title of Senior Consultant.

On paper, she was just eighteen years old.
From a qualifications standpoint, she simply wasn’t eligible for the position.

If there wasn’t some critical missing information in her file, then this appointment by Mr. Lù was very deliberate.

O’Berain found himself uncertain how to greet this new colleague. Because frankly, she was… too beautiful.

He hadn’t seen a woman stir his interest like this in years—not in the Investigation Department, at least.
Of course, this was only a photograph.

Could be a complete catfish.

As he mused over this, his secretary stepped into the room.

“Minister, Consultant Luo has arrived. She’s waiting in the reception room.”

O’Berain smiled faintly. “Very well. Let’s go welcome our new Senior Consultant.”